Northwest Passage Revealed

Day 1: Toronto

Arrive in the cosmopolitan city of Toronto, Canada and transfer to your hotel. In the evening you will attend a voyage briefing, where you can enjoy a drink and meet your fellow expeditioners.

Day 2: Kangerlussuaq

This morning, we transfer to the airport and board our charter flight to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to meet our vessel. Enjoy a short tour of Kangerlussuaq before embarkation in the afternoon and a magnificent start to our voyage; sailing out of Sondre Stromfjord, with its towering mountains on both sides.

Day 3 Eternity Fjord

Due to its forested landscape, Evighedsfjorden (Eternity Fjord), is one of the more spectacular fjord complexes in west Greenland. Hike through a forested valley and see the hills become towering snow-capped mountains as countless glaciers pour down from sheer cliff walls. The only sound you are likely to hear is the thunder of a calving glacier in a place where you rarely see another soul.

Day 4: Ilulissat

This region produces some of the most dazzling icebergs found anywhere on earth; it is known as the 'birthplace of icebergs'. Hike to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Icefjord and stand in awe of its immensity. Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Glacier), is the most productive glacier in the entire Northern Hemisphere, producing 20 million tonnes of ice each day. This all floats into the Ilulissat Icefjord and Disko Bay. Conditions permitting, we will enjoy a Zodiac cruise at the mouth of the fjord and there is a chance to kayak through sea ice and icebergs. An optional 90-minute helicopter flight over the icefjord is a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Day 5: Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island)

Most of the island's interior is mountainous and glaciated; its beautiful shorelines boast black sandy beaches, basalt columns, hot springs and dramatic lava formations.It seems this compelling island has more in common with Iceland than Greenland. On a guided hike you can enjoy the diversity of arctic flora or take a Zodiac cruise in Disko Bay, a hotspot for spotting marine life including humpback, fin, minke and bowhead whales.

Day 6: At sea - Qikiqtarjuaq, Baffin Island

Onboard, the team of experts provide informative talks about wildlife, geology and epic tales of early explorers such as Franklin and Amundsen. Reaching the coast of Baffin Island, we may encounter Greenland's famous icebergs and we keep watch for humpback, sei, sperm and fin whales, as well as various species of seals including ring and harp seal.

Day 7: Isabella Bay & Sillem Island

Travelling north along the east coast of Baffin Island, we rech Isabella Bay, an important summer and autumn feeding ground for a large population of bowhead whales. The numerous soaring cliffs of Sam Ford Fjord stacked side-by-side make for a majestic sight as you sail by. One of the most isolated places on the planet, this climbers' playground attracts those eager to scale the sheer rock faces that seem to shoot straight out from the sea. In the afternoon we sail slowly around Sillem Island, for the chance to see many and varied glaciers.

Day 8: Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) & Bylot Island

Overlooking Eclipse Sound, the picturesque hamlet of Pond Inlet is surrounded by scenic mountain ranges and numerous glaciers and fjords. Travellers come for the abundant wildlife hoping to see narwhals, beluga and orca whales, ringed and harp seals, caribou and the occasional polar bear. In addition you can explore churches and visit the Natinnak Center to see exhibits showcasing the culture and history of the local Inuit people.

In the afternoon, we sail along the coastline of nearby Bylot Island. Covered with mountains, icefields, steep cliffs, snowfields and glaciers, Bylot is home to a a total of 74 unique species of arctic bird and provides nesting habitat for large numbers of thick-billed murres and black-legged kittiwakes. 

Day 9: Lancaster Sound

We reach a latitude of almost 75 degrees north and are now truly in the High Arctic. Here, an abundance of wildlife is supported by the nutrient-rich waters, giving the area the moniker 'wildlife super- highway'. Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island on earth and features stunning geology, with flat-topped mountains and glacial valleys. We may take the chance to explore Croker Bay or Maxwell Bay, both offering great opportunities for Zodiac cruising. Dundas Harbour offers walks on undulating tundra, is great for birdwatching and walruses are often present in the bay. There is plenty of history too: a dilapidated Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost and remnants of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post can be found here.

Day 10: Lancaster Sound & Beechey Island

Named after Frederick William Beechey, the island is one of Canada's most important Arctic sites and a designated Canadian National Historic Site. During the Franklin expedition of 1845, Franklin attempted to sail through the Northwest Passage with both HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, unfortunately with perilous results: three of his men died here. Roald Amundsen had more success and landed at Beechey Island in 1903 when he fully transited the Northwest Passage, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Days 11 to 15: Expedition Cruising

Our itinerary for the following days is heavily dependent on unpredictable sea ice and so like any true expedition, the itinerary may change depending on sea conditions. We hope to visit the following places:.

Prince Leopold Island

The towering bird cliffs of Prince Leopold Island lie on the southern side of Lancaster Sound from Beechey Island. This historic site is where, in 1848, English explorer James Clark Ross overwintered during a search for the missing Franklin expedition. It is also the most important bird sanctuary in the Canadian Arctic, with approximately 500,000 birds nesting here in the summer. Polar bears often lurk nearby, ringed seals are often spotted on the sea ice around the island and the shallow gravel beds attract beluga whales, who come to moult in this part of the Arctic each summer.

Cunningham Inlet

If factors such as weather and whale behaviour align, you might see the amazing spectacle of hundreds of beluga whales shedding their skin on the shallow sandy banks of the north coast of Somerset Island. In addition, there are excellent guided walks here, where waterway trails lead to waterfalls and higher ground.

Prince Regent Inlet, Fort Ross

Sailing down the east coast of Somerset Island, you might spot narwhals and beluga whales feeding on the large numbers of arctic char that enter Creswell Bay in late summer. The bay is also important for birds, attracting species including black-bellied plovers, king eiders and white-rumped sandpipers. Enjoy guided walks on the tundra. And at Fort Ross, visit an abandoned Hudson's Bay Company trading outpost founded in 1937, which closed in 1949 because supply ships could not get through the thick sea ice. 

Bellot Strait

Bellot Strait is characterised by strong, swirling, tidal currents that require navigation to be undertaken close to times of slack water (four times a day); it is a deep and windy waterway bordered by steep slopes. The most northern continental point of the Americas is located in the strait. (Point Zenith).

Please note: Bellot Strait is better transited during eastbound voyages because if it is blocked - due to swirling currents of up to 10 knots - there is the alternative to continue north through Peel Sound. On westbound voyages, it would be necessary to make a long detour back north through Prince Regent Inlet.

Coningham Bay

The bay lies on the shores of Prince of Wales Island, across from the Victoria Strait. It's a polar bear hotspot; the majestic creatures come to feast on beluga whales often trapped in the rocky shallows at the entrance to the bay. It is not unusual to find the shoreline filled with very healthy-looking polar bears and plenty of whale skeletons!

King William Island

Remains attributed to the Franklin expedition have been found at 35 different locations on King William Island and on nearby Adelaide Peninsula; in 1859, a Franklin expedition tent camp was discovered at Cape Felix. South of the cape, in Victoria Strait, we hope to visit Victory Point and get close to where Franklin's two vessels, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were abandoned in 1848.

Day 16: Cambridge Bay, Calgary

In Cambridge Bay, we bid farewell to the crew, expedition team and our fellow travellers before a Zodiac shuttle transfers everyone to shore. Then a final transfer to the airport for a charter flight to Calgary, where you will stay overnight at the Delta Hotel, Calgary Airport.

Day 17: Depart Calgary

This morning you will depart Calgary and continue your onward journey.